I don't really have anything more to say about Far Cry 3 right now except that I can't stop playing. Every time I think about what I game I want to play, Far Cry 3 is what instantly comes to mind. I think I'm going to take a few days off to break up the monotony of writing about something I have nothing to write about. Again, you should pick this up if you haven't. So much fun.

Sleeping Dogs

Similar to Far Cry in that I've written a lot of what I wanted to say about it and it's an incredible game. One thing I've noticed is how better the combat improves as you progress, even with its initial greatness at the start. The free flow combat has a combo twist to it that enables you to take out certain enemies in different ways. There are moves that stun your enemy so that you can get in those extra few hits. Grappling your enemy and using the environment to take them out is still insanely fun, but I've recently encountered a new type of enemy that you can't grapple with which makes you change your overall strategy. I can't say that the combat is very difficult, at least when you get used to the pace and the combos, but it can be challenging at times. I've just received a gun in the game and it feels much like Uncharted or Grand Theft Auto 4. They have implemented a Max Payne-like slow down mechanic when you hop over a piece of cover, but it is neither overpowered nor can it be abused.

I think my favorite thing in Sleeping Dogs is the classical music station. Just imagine doing wheelies and flying in between cars and trucks while listening to Bach and Mozart. It's hilarious just thinking about it, but the classical music station is always what I immediately turn to when I start driving.

Sorry about the repetitiveness these past few days, but I just can't get enough of these two games right now. I have some plans to start some new games and return to some older ones this week as well as writing about some things other than my daily gaming experience. Anyways, thanks for reading and and feedback is greatly appreciated!

Another day, another entry. I'm really enjoying this experience as it's both motivating me to write everyday as well as start new games and pick up games I had previously left off in a desire to not make myself write about and play the same games everyday. Although I continued my Far Cry 3 journey, I still managed to find some things that piqued both my ire and my enjoyment that I could write about. I also picked up a new game that I had no experience with prior to today.

Far Cry 3

As much as I hate to repeat myself, Far Cry 3 is still one of the most entertaining games I've ever played. Running around this island is incredibly fun because of everything that there is to do. There are few gaming moments that I've experienced that are more intense that being attacked by a tiger or a leopard or a dingo at a completely random moment when you are exploring. As for the time I spent with Far Cry 3 today, I discovered two new things. For one, the driving in this game, at least to me, is terrible. I don't know if it's because I've never really played a game where driving in first person was a normal occurrence or if it as bad as it seems. Driving in most games, that aren't based around driving as a core mechanic, is normally not very good, but it's rare for it to just be straight-up terrible. That's not to say it's broken or incompetent. It works and it serves it purpose of getting you from point A to point B, but the simple act of driving makes me want to explore the island on foot at nearly every moment. The physics are wonky, it's near-impossible to truly control your vehicle, and you get stuck way too often. Trying to turn and not flip your car or crash or even stay on the road is a rough task and it keeps me from even attempting the basic side quests that are centered around racing time trials. Maybe the design is intentional, because I have yet to encounter any paved roads on the island, but if it is intentional, then Ubisoft clearly didn't even consider that jeeps and 4-wheelers are off-road vehicles that handle well on dirt roads. I don't want to say that this takes a lot away from my overall enjoyment of Far Cry 3, but it does make me less inclined to try certain side missions and other aspects of the game. I hope that I get over it or at least grow accustomed to the shoddy driving within Far Cry 3.

The other thing I learned today was how fun it is to take out the radio towers in the game. It's a very simple element that seems almost like a complete copy of the sychronization high points from the Assassin's Creed series, but it is utilized in a much better way than the last entry in the Assassin's Creed series. Assassin's Creed 3's high points were both mundane and often identical to one another (in comparison to previous entries where the high points were the most beautiful and intricate of set pieces within those games and often included a puzzle aspect) while Far Cry 3's radio towers are different every time. You don't know if there are gonna be enemies or dangerous animals nearby and every tower is laid out differently to give you the sense that each one is unique. However it's the simple design aspects that immerse you into the climbing. Every creak makes you feel like the tower is about to crumble into a heap. Like the Assassin's Creed towers, you get to see the beauty of the world every time you reach the top of a tower. Also, instead of leaps of faith, you are given a zip line to slide down from. I don't know why I enjoy these things so much, but it's just a little thing that adds a lot to the experience of Far Cry 3.

Sleeping Dogs

I bought Sleeping Dogs about a month-and-a-half ago during Black Friday weekend, but I just had never gotten around to it. Now that I'm attempting this daily blog, I've been given a very simple opportunity to try a new, or sometimes old, game everyday. Good ole' Sleepy Dawgs is today's choice. I played for around three hours today and, unsurprisingly, it is amazing. It's a little inconceivable how Activision gave up on this gem of an open-world game, especially when that's a genre that they have yet to tap into. Everything from the visuals to the voice acting to the combat is impressive. Sleeping Dogs is a downright gorgeous game. I'm playing on the Xbox 360 and it still manages to keep up with the graphics even when I'm flying through the city on a motorcycle. As for the voice acting, it's some of the most impressive I've ever heard in a game. The actor who voices the main character, Wei Shen, really brings him to life. When it comes to combat, Sleeping Dogs very efficiently apes the recent Batman games. It isn't nearly as entertaining due to your lack of the fancy gadgets that the dark knight possesses, but the countering system and fluidity is still there. One of the additions to the combat in Sleeping Dogs is the environment. When you grapple an enemy, certain items in the world glow red, indicating that they can be used as an environmental takedown. Phone booths, store security grates, and air conditioners are just some of the things that you can use to takedown thugs. It is a wrinkle that surprisingly adds a good amount of variation in your combat experience. I have yet to encounter any guns, but I have seen some kitchen knives and tire irons come into play while I'm dealing with these rival gang members. I'm not far into Sleeping Dogs, but it's a great game from what I've played. I'm really excited to explore Hong Kong and get deeper into Wei Shen's story.

That's all I have for today. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!

It's Day 2 and I haven't given up yet, so that's something. I didn't get too much gaming in today due to work obligations, but I got enough time in to give me something to write about. So here it goes:

Far Cry 3

I just got this game, so it's sure to be a staple in my gaming routine. It's also incredibly fun. Far Cry 3's world is gigantic from what I've gleaned from it so far. But a big world isn't enough to keep me interested. From the main story missions to side missions that vary in styles such as time trial races, stealth assassination missions and hunting, to the many different collectibles to the simple task of taking out radio towers to uncover the world map, Far Cry 3 has so much to do. I'm only about 6 hours in and I feel like I've only just scratched the surface. Many people have described this game as Skyrim with guns and that's pretty accurate. As someone who played eleven straight hours of Skyrim the day I bought it, I feel a similar itch for Far Cry 3. The world is so beautiful and it has so many tasks that it's just begging to be explored for hours on end. I only got two hours in today, but it felt like I had only been playing for twenty minutes. The immersion that Far Cry 3 gives you might not be quite as seamless as in a game like Skyrim, but it's still there in copious amounts. The only time I feel pulled out of this immersion is when the character you play as, Jason Brody, is referred to by name.

So far, I think that my favorite activity in Far Cry 3 has to be hunting. The hunting in this game is superior in every way when compared to the arbitrary and often frustrating hunting elements in Ubisoft's other 2012 blockbuster, Assassin's Creed 3. Hunting in Far Cry 3 is an almost necessary task. All of your pouches, your wallet, and your quiver need to be upgraded with animals skins that you only receive from hunting. As far as I can tell, every pouch can be upgraded four times, with each level differing in what type of animal's skin and how many of them you will need to upgrade it. There are different territories all over the world with different animals dominating certain areas. Whether it's pigs or tigers or buffalo or sharks, you can go and search out these animals for their precious skins, but roaming around isn't the only way for you to hunt. One of the various side mission types is called Path of the Hunter. In these missions, you are sent to pick up a specific weapon - I've encountered shotguns and bows so far - and then you go and hunt for a specified number of a species. Five wild dogs or two bears, every hunting mission I've played has been different. The coolest mission hunting mission I've finished had me hunting a golden tiger, which is classified as a rare animal. These rare animals are only encountered during the Path of the Hunter missions and their skins are to be used for the fourth upgrade on each pouch. The hunting aspect of Far Cry 3 brings so much more to the table than Assassin's Creed 3, where hunting was essentially used to make money and that's it. It was also tedious and the quick-time events for the predators were annoying to say the least. Far Cry 3's hunting is both fun and necessary.

Mark of the Ninja

I had played through the first level of Mark of the Ninja awhile back and while I did enjoy it, I just didn't have the motivation to actually keep with it. I'm kind of regretting that now. I only got in through the second level today, but I'm finally seeing what made everyone love this game. I haven't played too many stealth games, but I typically enjoy those elements when they're implemented into other games that aren't strictly stealth-based. Mark of the Ninja makes me want to go play the classic stealth games, but I don't know if they'll hold up when compared to this gem of a downloadable game. Everything in Mark of the Ninja seems stream-lined for both an entertaining and a challenging experience. The controls are simple and fluid and are put to use in the exact way you would expect them to be. Timing is the ultimate decider in whether you kill every guard undiscovered or die and retry it again. Hiding in plants, under grates, or above light posts, the tools are there for you to accomplish your mission without being discovered, but it isn't easy. You're also given some tricks to conceal your movements and distract guards. Darts to destroy lights and an item, whose name escapes me, to throw and draw guards towards that spot are the two little tools that I've received at this point and I'm anxious to see what this game is going to bring into the mix next.

Well, that's all I have for today, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this process. I starting to think that I might just be able to follow through with this resolution. Anyways, thank you for reading and let me know what you think!

This year, for one of my New Year's Resolutions, I decided that I wanted to create a daily gaming blog. I want it to be daily because I need some motivation to both write everyday as well as get me to finally start burning through my ever-growing backlog on Steam and my pile of shame for my consoles. I thought about making this blog on Wordpress or Blogger, but I figured that IGN is perfect place for this type of thing. I'm hoping to try and play at least two different games a day, on a variety of platforms, so that I can keep this from becoming boring and monotonous for both me and you. Well, I guess there's nothing else to do but start...

Journey

I don't think there's any better choice to kick off my new year of gaming than by playing IGN's own 2012 game of the year. I've wanted to play Journey since it came out, but, as always, a lot of things got in my way. Work and time for one. My overall lack of inspiration to actually turn on my Playstation 3 and go through the process of buying it. I generally identify myself as Xbox 360 gamer, so I pretty much always buy my games, download or disc, for that system. Journey is actually the first game I've purchased off the Playstation Store. Needless to say, I was extremely excited that I was finally getting around to playing this game that I have yet to hear a single legitimate complaint about. When I hear people talk about Journey, they speak about it in reverence. From the art style to the music to the simple yet elegant use of its multiplayer aspects, it seemed to be a near-perfect game... and it didn't disappoint.

I've never played a thatgamecompany title before, but I think I'm starting to understand what Jenova Chen is trying to do in this industry. As cliche and stereotypical as it sounds, Journey is art. I can't fathom why the debate about whether video games are art or not still rages on when a game like Journey is in the world. For me to say that Journey is the most beautiful game I've ever played would be an understatement. In a generation of beautiful games such as Assassin's Creed 3, Crysis 2, Uncharted 3, Skyrim, Grand Theft Auto 4, and many more, Journey somehow topped all of them from the moment I started. The way the sun hits the sand when you're floating and sliding through the barren desert is nothing short of awe-inspiring. If I ever receive another experience like this (starting at 4:00), I would be forever grateful:

And the music... How could anyone not love the soundtrack to this game? It's haunting, chilling, inspirational, heartwarming and soothing all at the same time. Despite the nearly endless list of things wrong with the Grammys, they do get it right sometimes and the fact that Journey is the first game to ever be nominated for a Grammy signifies that the Academy is making progress as well as giving the video game industry and its music the credit that it has long-deserved.

Much like The Walking Dead: The Game, calling Journey a game is a bit generous. More than anything, it's an experience. An experience that left me feeling both satisfied and still wanting more. I had to stop myself from starting again from the beginning as soon as the credits stopped rolling. However, unlike The Walking Dead, I get the feeling that Journey is an experience that I want to repeat, many times. I finished the game in just over an hour-and-a-half. The Walking Dead was my story from beginning to end and it isn't one I feel comfortable trying to tell again. Journey on the other hand... Journey feels like my own personal interactive movie. From the quick pace to the breathtaking moments, Journey is a game that I can see myself picking up every so often just to experience it all over again. If you haven't played it, I highly encourage that you do so. You won't regret it.

Far Cry 3

The other game I played today is different is nearly every conceivable way: Far Cry 3. I'm only a couple hours into this game and I already love it. The opening scene to Far Cry 3 is great and despite it being the only glimpse I've had of Vaas so far, it is evident right from the start that he is the embodiment of a fantastic character. Maybe I was a little soured from Assassin's Creed 3, Ubisoft's other big budget blockbuster title, but one of my favorite things about Far Cry 3 is how short and simple the game's tutorials are. Whereas Assassin's Creed 3 had an incredible 6-hour long, drawn-out tutorial process, Far Cry 3 has a box pop up with a handful of bullet-points that you read and then you move on. Tutorials are a such a simple thing that many games continue to mess up. I'm sure some developers think that this pop-up box that succinctly explains a mechanic in a short and simple fashion "takes you out of the experience," but the fact of the matter is that I, for one, would much rather read for twenty seconds than play through an entire tutorial level every time you introduce a new game mechanic.

Like Journey, Far Cry 3 is exceedingly gorgeous. The water and the jungles look amazing and the character models are great. I'm really enjoying the RPG-like elements of crafting and leveling, but I still hate being locked out of abilities because I'm not far enough in the story. I'm not fond of it, but even a level-based unlock system like Skyrim's makes more sense than Far Cry 3's skill trees. I'm completely okay with a progress-based skill tree, like the ones in Borderlands, which Far Cry 3 has, but I don't understand why certain areas of a skill tree need to be locked just... because. The crafting is simple and best of all, you can do it anywhere at anytime. I do love a first-person shooter-RPG.

I've already had one of those "tripping" moments that I keep hearing about and I was thoroughly impressed. The story hasn't really begun to take a distinct shape yet other than that you're the white boy-savior of the island's natives and that Vaas has kidnapped a bunch of your friends and that you have to save them. I haven't heard good things about the ending, but that is still a ways off and I'll deal with that when I get to it.

So, there it is. My first entry for this year's daily gaming blog. I hope you enjoy it.